Saturday, 11 February 2012

Suge Knight arrested in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight was jailed briefly in Las Vegas on three outstanding traffic warrants and suspicion of marijuana possession, after being pulled over for a driving infraction, police said on Thursday.

The onetime rap music mogul was stopped near the Vegas Strip shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday when police saw him changing lanes and making a turn without a proper signal, Metro police officer Jay Rivera said.

A records check turned up three outstanding Nevada traffic warrants for Knight, including one for a driving on a suspended out-of-state license, Rivera said.

Police said Knight, 46, also was found in possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, a misdemeanor offense. He was later released on about $2,600 bail, according to Rivera.

Knight, who helped launch the careers of such rap stars as Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur in the 1990s, has seen his own career overshadowed in recent years by various run-ins with the law.

In May 2010, he was arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. In February 2009, he was treated for facial injuries he suffered in a fight at a hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona.

He was arrested in August 2008 in Las Vegas on drug and assault charges after he was accused of punching his girlfriend and pulling a knife on her during an argument outside a strip club.